george howell, live in atlanta, thank you. >>> it is 17 minutes past the hour. it is time for your early reads, your local news that is making national headlines. and we begin with this from the "press telegraph" in long beach, california. it reports police for the fontana unified school district bought 14 militarmilitary-style to protect students and faculty in case of a shooting on campus. school board members say $14,000 was spent on what they consider to be a huge departure in policy. the school's district police chief says the weapons are stored in locked compartments strategically placed throughout the district. >>> this from "the new york times" this morning, a sharp decline in the number of american workers belonging to unions. a report says union membership is at its lowest level in nearly a century. several reasons were cited, including new anti-union lawsuits in wisconsin, indiana and other states as well as the growth of sectors like retail and stwraunrestaurants where un don't have much of a presence. for a look at our top stories, head to our blog,